A Potter's Love
by Miss.Ivy.Alexandra
Summary: AU James and Sirius raised Harry after the events of Halloween happened differently. Harry and Ginny grow up best friends, but after rescuing her from the chamber, how will Harry help her heal? Covers 1st-7th year.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: JKR owns everything

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Halloween 1981

"Lily, take Harry and run. He's here" James shouted to his wife. 

"But what about you? I'm not leaving you on your own James" 

"Lily please, get Harry upstairs, I'm not losing either of you or I swear-" the rest of James Potter's sentence was drowned out by a loud cackle coming from the hallway. 

"Stay safe Jamie" Lily whispered before rushing up the stairs and into the nursery. With Lily and Harry safely out the way for now, James turned his attention to the monster in the hallway. Clutching his wand tightly he stepped out into the hallway. "Stupefy!" he shouted, only for Voldemort to stand there and flick the spell away like it was a fly. 

"Crucio!" it came before James had a time to react and he felt the burning pain of millions of tiny needles penetrating his whole body. After a while, the curse ended, leaving James panting on the floor. 

"Where is your son?" Voldemort hissed as James struggled to his feet. 

"He's not here, he's at his aunt's house with his mother" James lied, hoping that rumours of Voldemort's mind reading were not true. 

"You lie" was the response. "Avada Kedavra!" James saw the bright green jet of light heading towards him. He jumped to the side and the last thing he was aware of was a sharp pain in his head before blackness took over. 

Tom Riddle barely looked at the man lying on the floor, thinking him to be dead. He stepped over the unmoving body and glided slowly up the stairs. It was a small house, only three rooms upstairs. One contained the bathroom, the other was the master bedroom and the last one, the only one with the door shut was the nursery. This was the door Tom Riddle went to. He found the door was not locked. He opened it and stepped inside. 

Lily Potter was petrified. Her husband was downstairs taking on Voldemort by himself and she couldn't even help him. She settled Harry in his cot, whispering to him the time. 

"That's it Harry. We'll just sit tight for a few minutes while daddy fights the bad man downstairs. He's very brave you know. Your daddy is the bravest man I know and he loves us both terribly Harry" her voice shook as she tried to drown out the screams coming from downstairs. "We both love you. And you must never forget that." She stroked Harry's messy black hair when she heard a high pitched voice cry out the unmistakable words of the killing curse followed by a crash and a thump. 

"James!" Lily gasped in horror. "No no, not my Jamie." She cried, tears falling thick and fast down her cheeks. She quickly kissed the top of Harry's head before shakily standing up, knowing she was the last line of defense, the only thing left that could stop Voldemort from getting to her son. Gripping her wand tightly, she positioned herself in front of the cot and waited. 

The door swung open slowly, the hinges creaking, giving away the age of the once ramshackle cottage they now called home. Lily angrily swiped the tears away from her cheeks as she came face to face with the man who had just murdered her husband. 

"Ah Lily Potter. I thought I'd find you here" he said, his black robes billowing around him although the air was still. 

"Please don't hurt him" Lily whispered. 

"Move aside." 

"No please, I'll do anything, kill me instead. He's just a baby" Lily begged. 

"I said move aside. The Dark Lord will be merciful. Move aside and you shall not be harmed." 

"No! You may have killed my husband and you can kill me, just please, let Harry live." 

"You insolent girl, you have to learn that we can't always have what we want." Just as Voldemort finished speaking, he shot a spell at her and Lily couldn't even move before the purple light hit her in the centre of her chest. Immediately, she felt her legs go heavy, like they were made out of lead and her eyelids started to droop. She could barely concentrate when she heard Voldemort say one last thing. 

"Say goodbye to your baby, Mrs. Potter. Avada Kedavra!" lily watched as the green light streaked across the room and summoning the last of her strength, to protect her son, she clumsily stumbled in front of the cot. Then Lily Potter knew no more. 

* * *

Sirius Black was worried. Peter Pettigrew, the secret keeper for his best friends, had disappeared. Sirius had just come back from Peter's small flat, which the rat animagus had been told not to leave, only to find him not there. Hundreds of thoughts spun round Sirius' head. Had the death eaters found out that Peter was the secret keeper? Did they come and take him from his flat? If they did then Lily and James would be in danger... Peter was hopeless at occlumency and wouldn't last a second if someone tortured him with the cruciatus. Swearing under his breath, Sirius hurried out of the flat he shared with Remus and apparated to Godrics Hollow. 

The first thing he saw was the house. The little cottage that Lily and James had been hiding in had a giant hole blown in the top of it, like a bomb had exploded inside. His heart in his mouth, Sirius wrenched open the gate and ran to the front door that was swinging on its hinges. Pushing it open, he saw James, his best friend and brother by choice lying face down in the hall. Sirius froze for a second before hurrying to his friend's side. 

"Prongs? Come on Prongs, you can't be dead" he muttered. Lifting a hand to feel James' pulse, he had to sit down as he felt a pulse thrumming in his vein. "Merlin Prongs, I thought you'd gone and snuffed it!" Sirius said as he let out the breath he'd been holding. Scanning the hall, he noticed the coat stand had been knocked over and there was a scorch mark on the wall he quickly identified as a deflected spell but apart from that there was no sign of a fight. 

"James, come on, wake up, where's Lily and Harry?" Sirius frantically got up and looked into the living room. James made no move to awaken. Leaving his friend, Sirius bounded up the stairs two at a time and rushed down the hall to get to the nursery. Opening the door, his gaze was straight away drawn to the unmoving form of Lily Potter on the floor at the foot of the cot. 

"Oh dear god, no." Hoping for a second miracle of the night, Sirius rolled Lily over and apart from a fall of her chest as she breathed. 

"Unca Siri!" Sirius' head shot up and saw his godson standing up in his cot, holding on to the bars. 

"Hey there Harry" Sirius whispered, reaching into the cot and picking up his godson. 

"What happened Harry? Did the bad man come?" 

"Unca Siri! Muma?" 

"Mummy's fine, see? She's just... sleeping. Come on Harry, let's get you out of here and then I'll tell Dumbledore that the bad man came." Cradling the toddler in his arms, Sirius made his way to the fireplace in the living room and grabbing a handful of floo powder, shouted "Hogwarts headmasters office". 

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office reading a muggle fiction novel that Professor Fielding, his muggle studies teacher had given him the previous Christmas. Albus was chuckling to himself at some muggle joke when all of a sudden the fireplace roared into life and out stepped Sirius Black, clutching his godson in his arms. By the look on Sirius' face, something terrible had happened. 

"Sirus? What's wrong?" 

"I... I don't know Albus, Peter wasn't there today when I went to check on him even though the bloody git knew not to leave the flat and then I went to Godrics Hollow to make sure James and Lily were ok, but when I got there they were both unconscious and I think Voldemort had just left." Sirius rambled. Albus held up a hand. 

"What's Mr. Pettigrew got to do with this Sirus? Aren't you the secret keeper?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. 

"No, me and Peter swapped at the last minute. I thought that they'd be safer using him, I mean, who would suspect Peter Pettigrew of being the secret keeper? I was just the decoy" Sirius said with an angry look on his face. "Not that it did much good, that bloody rat!" 

"Sirius, you take Harry to St Mungos to get him checked over. Lily and James..." 

"Are in the cottage, they're still alive but they're unconscious, we need to be quick." Sirius rummaged around for the worn slip of paper he carried around in his wallet. "Here, this is the address" he said, handing Dumbledore the paper that had Peter's spidery scrawl on it detailing the address of the cottage. 

With that, Sirius strode over to the floo, Harry thankfully sleeping in his arms, praying that Dumbledore would get to his friends in time. 

Sirius sat in a chair next to the bed Harry was sleeping in. After being checked over, the healer had announced that Harry was fine, although he now sported a scar to his forehead, the only sign he had been attacked. Sirius could not believe it when the healer had examined the magical signature around it and explained it was where the killing curse had rebounded. Sirius was in shock at how close he had come to losing his family that night. 

James and Lily had both been brought to St. Mungos a couple of hours ago and there was still no more news on either of their situations. If it weren't for the fact that he refused to leave Harry on his own, he would be out there hunting down Peter. He couldn't imagine betraying his friends the way Peter had. Soft footsteps approached and he heard a voice. 

"Mr. Black?" Sirius looked up to see a healer standing next to him. 

"Is James ok? Lily? Will they-" the healer held up his hand. 

"Mr Black, Mr Potter's symptoms are consistent with being held under the cruciatus curse. If he were held under any longer I would be fearful for his sanity. However, so far he is showing good cognitive signs and I believe he will make a full recovery." Sirius felt the knot in his stomach loosen slightly. 

"So he'll be ok?" 

"After a period of rest and recovery he should be just fine" the healer said, a small smile on his face. 

"What about Lily? She looked like she was sleeping, she has to be ok?" Sirius asked. 

The smile disappeared off the healer's face. 

"Mrs Potter's condition is more serious. We are, as yet unable to figure out what curse she was struck with, and therefore cannot start any treatment. I assure you, we have our most knowledgeable people looking into her case" the healer said. 

"But she'll be ok?" Sirius clenched his fists so hard his knuckles were turning white. Lily had become the sister he never had, and he couldn't bear to think of anything happening to her. 

The healer didn't answer right away, and the pause scared Sirius more than he thought silence could. 

"It is too early to say I'm afraid. We're doing everything we can" he eventually replied. 

"Can I bring Harry to see James?" Sirius asked quietly, the shock wearing off and the gravity of the situation dawning on him. 

"Yes, I don't see why not" the healer replied. "I'll bring you both to his room now." 

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Please review and let me know what you thought!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who took the time to review. Much appreciated! 

Disclaimer: I own nothing 

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It was December, and six weeks had passed since the attack at Godrics Hollow. For James, it had been the longest six weeks on his life. Once he had been released from St Mungos James had moved back to Potter Manor with Harry, Sirius and Remus. It was where he had grown up and had inherited the house from his parents after their deaths. However, he barely spent any time there. Lily was still in hospital in some sort of magical coma and James spent every waking moment at her bedside, holding her hand and praying for a miracle. The healers were at a loss as to what curse she had been struck with and whilst they had managed to stabilise her condition, they could not find a reason as to why she would not gain consciousness. 

James felt helpless. Sometimes Sirius or Remus would come with him and tell Lily stories about the marauders and Harry, but in his heart James believed that Lily could not hear him. He had even brought Harry along a few times, in the hope that Lily would be able to sense the presence of their son, and would somehow awaken, knowing that she was needed. However, these visits only served to upset Harry, who did not understand why his mummy spent all her time sleeping instead of playing with him. 

When he arrived home each night, James would pour over the books in the library, hoping to come across any scrap of information that could help Lily. 

It was on a snowy evening, just days before Christmas when Sirius found James in the library. 

"Come on Prongs, don't do this to yourself. You look like crap." Sirius said, closing the book that James had been reading. "Lily would not want this. You're going to make yourself ill, and then who would look after Harry?" 

James looked up at his friend, dark circles framing his bloodshot eyes. "I can't sleep Sirius" he muttered. "Every time I close my eyes I have nightmares about what happened. How he tried to kill Lily and… and Harry" he whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "I couldn't protect her when she needed me and she just has to get better. She has to!" he gasped, as finally the tears fell. After weeks of silent prayers and trying to be strong, James broke down. 

Sirius knew this had been coming. James was his brother and he knew him better than he knew himself. 

"I know you feel guilty Prongs, so do I. I should never have suggested swapping to Peter, I would have taken your secret to the grave, you have to believe me." 

James raised his head and looked at his best friend. "It's not your fault Sirius. I don't blame you." 

"And Lily wouldn't blame either of you" a voice came from the doorway. Remus Lupin stood there, a sleeping Harry drooling on his shoulder. 

"None of us are to blame. Blame Peter, blame Voldemort. But you can't blame yourselves. You have a little boy who needs his Dad and his godfather" Remus said. "The healers are doing everything they can for Lily but she would want us to be there for Harry. He's the most important thing now James." 

James looked at his son. He had to admit that he hadn't been there as much for him as he would have liked. His every waking moment had been consumed with helping Lily, spending time with Lily. If his wife were here know she would be screaming at him for neglecting their son. He felt shame rise up in his chest as he thought about it. 

James rose from his seat and gently took Harry from Remus, his small head coming to lean against his cheek, and James felt overwhelmed at how close he had come to losing his precious son. 

"I've not done a very good job of being a father lately" he said. "You've both done more than enough looking after Harry. And me" he added as an afterthought. 

"You need to start living again James, for Harry's sake." 

"I won't give up on her" James said, the anguish in his voice clear. "As long as it takes." 

Sirius placed a hand on James' shoulder. "Damn right you're not giving up on her. Lily is the strongest witch I know. If anyone can pull through this, she can." 

* * *

A couple of days later James took Harry to the hospital. Normally he'd leave Harry with Sirius or Remus, but Sirius had been called away to an urgent death eater sighting and it had been a full moon last night, and Remus had been passed out on the sofa when James had been leaving. Knowing that the sight of Lily would most likely upset his son, he followed the signs towards the crèche section of St. Mungos. He hated leaving Harry with strangers, especially with his newfound status. The Boy-who-Lived they were calling him. Just yesterday James had taken Harry with him to Diagon Alley to stock up on potion supplies and he had been practically chased through the street by reporters longing to get a photo of the child who defeated Voldemort. Thankfully James made a hasty retreat through the floo before anyone succeeded. 

James placed Harry down in the play area, there were just three other children there and an elderly looking witch with white hair and a pimpled nose who was watching over them from a rocking chair. 

"Now Harry, Daddy's just going to see if Mummy's alright. I'll be back very soon ok?" he murmured, ruffling his son's hair. 

" 'k dada". 

"Shall I watch him for you?" James spun round to see a plump red haired woman looking at him. In her arms was a tiny baby. "I've just come to collect my boys and head home but it looks like they're having fun." She glanced behind James to where the three red haired children were playing with a bunch of building blocks. 

"If that's no problem, I'd take him with me but I think he'd prefer to stay here" James said quietly. 

"It's no trouble at all, I have 7 children of my own, so I'm sure I can handle one more" she chuckled. 

"7? Would you happen to be a Mrs Molly Weasley nee Prewitt?" James asked. 

The lady nodded and smiled. 

"That would be me? How did you know?" 

James shifted awkwardly. "I, uh, I knew your brothers, Gideon and Fabian. Fine fighters they were." 

The smile dropped off her face. "Yes, they were some of the best. It's such a shame…" 

James nodded "I was there that night you know. Me and Sirius Black. We tried to help them but it just happened so quickly" he murmured apologetically. In his head he could see the fire and the smoke. He could hear the loud explosion, which signified the end not only of the Prewitt brothers, but also of the 12 death eaters they'd managed to take down with them.

He heard a quiet sob and looked up. "I'm so sorry, I…" 

Molly shook her head. "No, don't be, I just miss them you know. The kids loved them. What's your little one called?" 

"Harry, and I'm James, James Potter". 

He watched as her eyes grew wide and grimaced slightly. "Yeah, that's the common reaction." 

Immediately, Molly grew flustered and blushed a dark red. "I'm so sorry Mr Potter, that was extremely rude of me." 

"Don't worry about it. I'm getting used to it. It's Harry that I'm worried about. All that fame for something he won't remember." A frown creased on James' forehead. All the worry that he'd been feeling came back and he slumped down in a chair. 

"Mrs. Weasley, can I ask you something?" 

"Call me Molly, and certainly you can". 

"What if I'm a rubbish Dad?I know little about being a parent. I've only just realised how much effort it takes to be a good parent. Lily and I were doing alright, muddling through together, but now… I didn't realise how much she did. I can't cook, I've just started learning the household charms but I can't do them very well, I can't sing to Harry when he goes to bed like Lily did. What if I mess him up? Lily would never forgive me." He said all this is rush and looked up through anxious eyes. 

Molly shifted the baby in her arms and turned to face him. "You may not be perfect James, Godric knows Arthur and I have had our share of problems with our kids, but you just have to be the best you can be. Harry will love you whether you sing him to sleep or not. And as for the cooking and the charms, I have been told that I possess skills in those areas. You and Harry are most welcome to come over to the Burrow at any time and I'll teach you to cook and Harry can play with children his own age." She looked up, "I mean, only if you want to." 

James thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "That would be really great Molly. It would be nice for Harry to spend time with other children." He looked over at Harry who had toddled over, a blue building block in his hand, he raised his chubby arms in the air towards James. 

"Up" he demanded. James chuckled and picked his son up and set him on his lap. 

"Harry, Mrs Weasley here is going to watch you for a few minutes while I go see Mummy, ok?" 

Harry looked at the lady and then down at the bundle in her arms. 

"Baby!" he cooed, leaning towards it, pulling the blanket away from her face, revealing a shock of bright red hair. 

Both adults laughed as Harry held the block out to her. 

"Baby play?" Mrs Weasley smiled at him. "This is Ginny, she's a bit too young to play at the moment and she's feeling a bit poorly." She looked at James "She's just had her dragon pox vaccinations" she explained. 

"Red!" Harry squealed, pointing at the baby's hair. James smiled, he hadn't seen Harry so happy since the attack. A friendship with the Weasleys could be just what they both needed.

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Please let me know what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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"I can't believe that we're actually going to Hogwarts, Harry!" Ron said excitedly. "Of course, I'd like to be put in Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad, I guess. As long as I'm not put in Slytherin then I'll manage! What about you Harry?" 

"Yeah, Gryffindor would be best" Harry muttered as the Potters and the Weasleys made their way onto platform 9 ¾. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in what house he was going to be in, but this was all Ron had been able to talk about for the last few weeks and if Harry was honest, he was getting a bit bored of it. 

Harry glanced up at the big clock that hung on the side of the platform and it read 10:53. He turned to his dad and godfather. "Well, goodbye Dad, Uncle Sirius." Harry grinned as his dad pulled him in for a hug and Sirius followed suit. "And please, please, don't blow the manor up." The two men laughed. "Why, Harry! We are two very responsible grownups. Can't you give us a little credit?" Sirius replied, offended. Harry thought about it for a moment. "Nope, sorry!" James ruffled his son's hair affectionately. 

"Your mum would have been so proud of you today" he said, his smile faltering for a moment. "She was so excited for you to go to Hogwarts, even when you were a baby." 

"I know Dad, but I'm sure that one day she'll be able to see me off herself." Harry replied, a hopeful smile appearing on his face. 

"I'm sure she will Harry" James said, his son's optimism contagious. Harry had never once doubted that his mum would one day wake up.

**Flashback**

James sat next to Lily, watching the rise and fall of her chest. She had been in St Mungo's for over six months now, but this morning James had received an owl from the healer in charge of Lily's case, saying that they had finally managed to diagnose her condition. He had rushed straight to the hospital, his heart pounding, imagining the worst. 

"Mr Potter, I'm glad you could make it" Healer Hallcroft said, walking into the room. 

"You said you have news? Is she going to be ok? Will she wake up?" James asked anxiously, gripping Lily's unmoving hand. 

"Yes Mr Potter, I have news. As I'm sure you're aware, I've had a team working around the clock trying to figure out the curse that may have struck your wife and caused this coma. Last night we had a breakthrough." 

James held his breath. 

"Mr Potter, it appears that your wife was hit with a very old curse. A very dark curse. It effectively causes the person struck to fall into a magical coma and causes a… connection… for lack of a better word between the parties involved." 

James felt his mouth go dry. 

"What...?" he croaked, horrified that his wife could be connected in any way to Voldemort. 

Healer Hallcroft looked at him compassionately, knowing the news would not get any better. 

"This connection allows the wizard who cast the curse to feed off the magic of the person they have hit, until…" he broke off. 

"Until?" James whispered. 

"Until they have no magic left." 

James looked at his wife, the healer's words echoing inside his head. 

"Is there a cure?" he eventually managed to get out. "Will she wake up?" 

"The only times recorded in which a person has awoken after being hit with this curse is following the death of the person who cast it."

James looked up at the healer sharply. "But Voldemort is dead. Why isn't she awake?" A grim expression came over the healer's face. 

"The only explanation Mr Potter, is that You-Know-Who is not as dead as we'd all hoped." 

Panic gripped James. The monster who was after his son was still out there. And while he was out there, Lily would be trapped in this coma. And if she did ever awaken, she may have lost all her magic. 

"How long, until her magic.." he trailed off. 

"It's hard to say. This is something we have never come across before, but we will be monitoring the situation closely. We have compared her results last night to the registration of her magical core following her seventeenth birthday. It has diminished slightly, but this situation is unprecedented. I'm sorry I don't have better news." 

James nodded, too stunned to say anything else. 

**End of flashback**

James remembered the days, weeks and years that had passed since his conversation with Healer Hallcroft. Following Lily's diagnosis, he had returned to the Auror force, determined to track down Voldemort, to kill him once and for all so Lily would awaken and they could be a proper family again. The knowledge that Voldemort was out there still, biding his time, worried James to no end. Over the years, he had tracked down several death eaters, and even a couple of wannabe dark lords had been captured by James' hand, earning him a promotion to Head of the Auror Office. However, he was no closer to finding Voldemort than he was all those years ago. 

Now Harry was leaving for Hogwarts and James could not help but feel a sense of foreboding as he watched his son say goodbye to his best friend. 

Ginny was still standing next to her mum, her chocolate brown eyes swimming with unshed tears. Harry walked up to her and immediately pulled her into a hug. He felt her arms snake around his waist. "I'm going to miss you the most Gin" Harry whispered in her ear. Ginny sniffed before pulling away and punching Harry on the shoulder. "Damn you Potter! You've made me cry!" 

Harry chuckled. "Glad to know you'll miss me. But don't let your mum hear you curse like that, she'll never let you visit me at home again! She already thinks that Dad and Uncle Sirius are a bad influence!" 

"Harry, come on! The train's about to leave!" Ron called from the train. "Just coming" Harry yelled back. He smiled at Ginny one last time and then leapt onto the train just as it started pulling away. Ron shut the door behind him. He waved to his family and watched as Ginny ran along next to the train as it started moving out of the platform. The last Harry saw of her was a flash of red as the train rounded the corner. 

Harry sighed and walked down the train until he saw Ron sitting in one of the compartments. 

"Can you believe it Harry? We're actually on the Hogwarts Express! Finally!" Ron beamed. Harry laughed. "Yes Ron, I can believe it!"

* * *

**Dear Ginny,**

**So far life at Hogwarts is pretty cool! Me and Ron were both sorted into Gryffindor with this really bossy know-it-all called Hermione, which is fantastic, but guess what? The sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin! I know! But I told it I wanted to go in Gryffindor, so that is where it put me! (Is that cheating?). Lessons have been alright, but you remember my Dad and Sirius talking about Snivilus Snape? Well, Snape is my potions professor and he hates my guts. But that's alright I guess as he is a greasy haired git and I hate him back! He asked me all these questions that I couldn't answer and made me look like a complete idiot in front of everyone. Then, he said and I quote "Well, Mr. Potter. It would appear that fame isn't everything." Did I mention that I hate him?**

**My other lessons seem to have gone ok so far though, even if Ron and I did get lost a few times and turned up late! The other boys in my dorm seem nice and we played exploding snap in the common room last night. I don't think that Ron's written to your mum yet so tell her that he's in Gryffindor for me? (I'd make him write, but you know Ron...)**

**Anyway, enough about me how are you? Are your parents driving you nuts? Have you seen Uncle Sirius and my Dad yet? (Please tell me that the manor is still standing). Oh yeah, and did I mention that I miss you like crazy?**

**Harry**

_Dear Harry _

_I told mum about you and Ron getting into Gryffindor (she was getting so annoyed that Ron hadn't written to tell her yet!) and, of course, she was thrilled! I'm glad that you have such a lovely relationship with your potions professor, he sounds charming and I can't WAIT to meet him next year! (I'm sure he'll stop harassing you when he realises that you've got photo proof of him dancing in his frilly pink underwear in front of Filch! – courtesy of your Dad and Sirius.)_

_You asked how I was? I'm bored. And you've only been gone less than a week! I can't wait until Christmas. Anyway, with all you boys gone my mum has taken it upon herself to broaden my feminine education. She's been teaching me to dance (I quite enjoy this), knit (my scarf isn't even fit for a gnome!) and to cook (hmmm...) at least it takes my mind off being the only one stuck at home. And yes, I've seen your Dad and Sirius. They've come over for dinner every day so far. They say it's for Mum's cooking, but I reckon the Manor is feeling very empty now you've left._

_As far as I know, the manor's still standing, but for how long I cannot say!_

_And yes Harry, I miss you like crazy too!_

_Ginny_

_P.S Tell my brothers I said hi._

_P.P.S. I've sent you the scarf I made, but I'm afraid it won't keep you that warm…_

**Dear Ginny**

**You will never guess what happened today! Go on, guess. I'll give you space to think...  
.**

**.**

**.**

**Well, if you thought that I, Harry Potter, am now the seeker on the Gryffindor quidditch team then you would be correct! I am officially the youngest player in a century! Whoo! Go me! (I know, I'm excited! But can you blame me?) I didn't try out or anything, but today we had our first flying lesson and there's this boy called Neville Longbottom (do you know him? I think he might have been at one of those garden parties that someone held) and he got a remembrall from his grandmother this morning. Anyway, during flying lessons he had an accident and broke his arm. When Madame Hooch was taking him to the hospital wing this other boy, a git named Malfoy, stole the remembrall and I went to get it back and so we were both flying around for a bit when the git realised that I could out fly him and he didn't have his bodyguards with him, so he chucked the remembrall and I flew after it. You should have seen me Gin! So I caught it and everyone was cheering when Professor McGonagall came out and told me to follow her. Honestly? I thought I would be expelled, but instead she informed me that I was to be seeker for the team!**

**About your scarf, yes, you're right, it doesn't exactly keep me warm, but I still wear it! A holey scarf is better than no scarf right!?**

**Thanks for the hint about my favourite professor. I might have slipped it into the conversation somewhere that I like his frilly pink pants and wondered if he wanted a bonnet to match! Sadly, he didn't seem to find it quite as amusing and I'm now in detention for the rest of the week.**

**Well, I have a duel with Malfoy tonight so, I'm going to go and get ready!**

**Still miss you like crazy,**

**Harry**

**P.S. I can't wait till Christmas either!**

**P.P.S. Ron and the twins say hi back. Percy sends his greetings...**

_Dear Harry_

_CONGRATULATIONS! You'll get the cup easy this year with the team you've got! Mum is a bit worried that you're going to be flying with older, bigger people before I reminded her that you fly all the time with my brothers, your dad and Sirius!_

_This Malfoy git sounds like a right arse! I asked mum about him and he sounds like a pure blood snob! Also, I don't think it's a good idea to duel someone like Malfoy yet, at least, not until you know more magic. Anyway, he might just chicken out and then you'll just end up getting caught. But by the time you get this letter, it will be too late._

_Your dad was ecstatic that you made seeker and he's sending your broom to school for you. When's your first match? I've been spending a bit of time with Luna Lovegood, remember, her mum died last year? I think mum thought I needed to spend more time with people my own age rather than, and I quote: "irresponsible wizards who think it's amusing to vanish all the laundry" but don't worry Harry, Remus managed to persuade them that it, if only so they could carry on coming over for dinner, they should return the laundry to mum ASAP!_

_I'm still really bored without you here. I'd even do with Ron for company right now!_

_Counting the days till Christmas…_

_Missing you like crazy,_

_Ginny_

_P.S. your dad says you need to write to him more!_

**Dear Ginny, **

**You were right about the duel. It was a complete nightmare but we did discover****ed something exciting! So Ron and I were about to go to meet Malfoy when Hermione (The bossy know-it-all I mentioned before) starts having a go at us. Well, we ignore her and leave the common room and she follows us and then she gets locked out. Imagine our excitement when she tags along with us… And THEN, we bump into Neville who was also locked out and he tags along too! So anyway, we get to the trophy room and Malfoy wasn't there but Filch was. Malfoy must have tipped Filch off to get us into trouble. We all legged it and ended up on the third floor and there was this locked door which Hermione opened for us. We slammed the door behind us and then we turned around and saw this massive three-headed dog. I am not joking, it took up the whole corridor and it was growling and I thought it was going to eat us! Luckily, we got out and Filch had gone so we made our way back to the common room. However, according to Hermione, the dog was standing on a trapdoor, which must mean it's guarding something, and I plan to find out what!**

**Oh, and before Hermione goes up to bed, she said "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled." Seriously, that girl needs to get her priorities straight!**

**So enough about me, how are you? How's the cooking coming along? And, dare I mention, the knitting? I still wear my scarf by the way. Ron teased me about it loads at first, said how could I even think of wearing something that looked like the wrong end of a hippogriff, but don't worry, I just told him that he was jealous that I was getting presents from pretty girls where the only gifts he gets are from his mum. I don't think he realised that it was from you or he might've punched me! And, just for the record, it does not look like the wrong end of a hippogriff. At all.**

**Tell my dad that I got my broom this morning; you should have seen Malfoy's face! I don't know when my first match is, November I think.**

**Anyway, I have class in 15 minutes so I better finish up!**

**Tell my dad I'll write soon,**

**I miss you so much still,**

**Harry**

_Dear Harry, _

_I don't want to say it, but, I told you so! (Not to sound smug or anything, and I'm glad you didn't get into trouble for it). I'm glad you didn't get eaten either, you're so much more fun alive! About Hermione though, she sounds like she needs some friends, maybe you should give her a chance. You never know, she might surprise you. Be careful when exploring that trapdoor, as I mentioned before, I like you alive._

_You asked about the cooking. I think I'm improving. Slightly. The other day I managed to bake an edible cake. If you're lucky I might make one for when you and Ron come home at Christmas!_

_It's best not to mention the knitting. Let's just say there was an unfortunate incident involving a knitting needle and Sirius and leave it at that... I'm glad you're still wearing your scarf though and defending it!_

_I told your Dad you got broom and he says to expect a surprise soon… watch this space!_

_I think you should watch out for Malfoy, you managed to avoid detention this time, but I'd just keep on my guard if I were you._

_Anyway, I have to finish up now; Mum's calling me for dinner._

_Still miss you too,_

_Ginny_

**Dear Ginny,**

**Yeah, I quite like being alive too! Don't worry, I'll watch out for Malfoy. What you said about Hermione surprising us? Are you a bloody psychic or something? You were absolutely right. On Halloween your oh so sensitive brother made Hermione cry and she ran off. Later at the feast Quirrell (the defence professor) said that there was a troll in the dungeons. Everyone had to go to their common room's but I remembered that Hermione was in the toilets, so we went down to make sure she was ok and everything. Well, long story short, we found her and the troll in the toilets so eventually we knocked it out and then all the professors came down. I swear I thought we were going to be in for it. However, Hermione completely covered for us and even lied to McGonagall to keep us out of trouble. I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!**

**You can't just leave me hanging like this… What is the surprise?! Please please tell me my amazing wonderful best friend! You know I love you!**

**Miss you loads,**

**Your equally as amazing and wonderful best friend,**

**Harry**

_Dear Harry,_

_I know, I am amazing and wonderful, but you should know by now that flattery will get you nowhere! Your Dad has sworn me to secrecy._

_Of course I was right about Hermione, and not because I'm psychic… I'm a girl. I know how a girl's mind works. Anyway, I'm glad you're friends, you need intelligent company. I can't imagine what months of Ron have done to you! Maybe this Hermione can teach him something? I know, wishful thinking._

_Sorry this letter is so short. Life is boring at home and there isn't much to say! Hope Hogwarts is more exciting. Mind you, with trolls and three headed dogs around every corner, it sounds like it is!_

_Missing you,_

_Ginny_

**Dear Ginny,**

**That was the best surprise ever! I honestly had no idea. It was the best feeling flying into the stadium and then seeing you Dad and Uncle Sirius in the stands. It's a shame we didn't get a chance to talk, but I'm still glad you were there to see my first match. Tell Dad I said thanks!**

**Life at Hogwarts is exciting but we seem to have reached a dead end with that trapdoor. We still can't work out what is being hidden under it. If you have any ideas, let me know!**

**The good news is that the Christmas holidays start in two weeks! So I will be able to see you and Dad and Sirius and Remus very soon!**

**I can't wait!**

**Miss you millions,**

**Harry**

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